KHÓ TIN: Nine Chinese teams start the season with negative points

More than half of the participating teams in this season's Chinese Super League began the 2026 season with deducted points.

The new season of the Chinese Super League (CSL) officially commenced under quite special circumstances, with nine teams starting the season with negative points. Among them are the reigning champion Shanghai Port and the runner-up of the 2025 season, Shanghai Shenhua.

Previously in January, China issued a permanent ban on 73 individuals involved in football-related activities, while also deducting points from 13 clubs, including nine teams currently competing in the CSL. This decision was made following a large-scale investigation into match-fixing and corruption within the football industry.

In an official announcement, the Chinese Football Association (CFA) stated that the disciplinary measures aim to uphold the integrity of the industry, cleanse the football environment, and ensure fairness in competition.

The CFA also explained that the point deductions and financial penalties imposed on the clubs were based on the value of the transactions, the nature of the violations, their severity, and the social impact of the offenses committed by each involved team.

Before the season-opening match between Chengdu Rongcheng and Shenzhen Peng City, the standings showed that Shanghai Shenhua and Tianjin Jinmen Tiger were the most heavily penalized, each deducted 10 points.

Meanwhile, Qingdao Hainiu was deducted seven points before their loss to Yunnan Yukun. Shandong Taishan and Henan were just above Qingdao with a six-point deduction, while four teams—Zhejiang, Wuhan Three Towns, Shanghai Port, and Beijing Guoan—started the season with -5 points.

In addition to the penalties imposed on clubs, Coach Li Tie was also among the 73 individuals permanently banned from football-related activities.

Last year, the former head coach of the Chinese national team admitted to match-fixing, accepting bribes, and offering bribes to secure the position of national team head coach.

In March, he further confessed to accepting over 16 million USD in bribes. These activities occurred from 2015, when he was an assistant coach at Hebei China Fortune, until 2021, when he left his position as head coach of the national team.

In a statement, Li Tie expressed remorse for his actions. He stated: “I am truly very sorry. I should have focused on my work and followed the right path. At that time, certain practices were considered quite common in football. Achieving success through improper methods made me increasingly impatient and eager for quick results.

To achieve good performance, I sought ways to influence referees, bribe opposing players and coaches, sometimes through arrangements between clubs.”

He also admitted that these wrongful behaviors gradually became habitual and made him increasingly dependent on them.